Vigil
by PrairieLily
Summary: When Abby is injured in a car accident, she and McGee receive reassurance from a surprising source. 10 chapters, 2 posted daily. 10 of 10 up COMPLETE. Blatant McAbby!
1. Not Like Abby

**Title:** Vigil

**Rating:** T. Minimal language. Diabetics may want to beware of some scenes, though. :P

**Disclaimer:** Abby, McGee, Gibbs, Tony, Ducky, and Palmer are not mine. The others are, so there.

**Pairings:** Blatant McAbby!

**Summary:** When Abby is injured in a car accident, she and McGee receive reassurance from a surprising source.

* * *

**Not Like Abby**

_Abby felt herself becoming airborne. The sound of crunching metal mingled with the feel of crunching bone, as her car came to an abrupt landing in the steep ditch._

_Her head bounced backwards as the airbag deployed, and she felt a crack in her neck. The delayed reaction of the pain coursing through every inch of her body was starting to come to fruition, pushing its way through the shock that had, until now, kept her from feeling anything but stunned surprise. Mercifully, she lost consciousness, and everything faded to black._

……………………………………………………………………

Tim McGee stared at the untouched meal on the table, long since grown cold. Not only was Abby not home yet, but she hadn't called. That just wasn't like her.

He knew his Abby. She always let him know where she'd be, for the sole and simple reason that she knew he was a natural worrier. She hated when he worried, especially about silly little things that didn't really warrant it. So, when she told him she'd be at point A at such-and-such-a-time, she was there. And if something came up that would throw a monkey wrench into her ETA, she'd let him know. And if she changed her mind, mid-flight, she'd let him know that too. He was always cool with it, and it never mattered to him where exactly she was, just as long as he knew from her own lips that she was safe.

Anyway, it was a mutual thing between them. It never would have occurred to him to not let Abby know where he was if his own plans were suddenly changed. Abby tried to pretend otherwise, but she was secretly grateful that he loved and respected her enough to let her know. What was good for the goose was good for the gander, after all.

Tim glanced at his watch, becoming more and more apprehensive with each passing minute. He couldn't help the feeling that was starting to form in his gut, the one that told him that something was very, very hinky.

He sighed, crossed his fingers, and picked up the phone.


	2. Hinky Feelings

**Hinky Feelings**

Tony was setting himself up for another all-nighter in the squadroom. He did his best work at night, he was always fond of telling everyone.

There were no distractions, at night. The dimly lit bullpen, the quiet hum of computers, and the other sounds that faded into white noise in the background of life at NCIS headquarters, all soothed him into a groove, one that allowed him to do his best work.

He was surprised when his phone rang. Who knew he'd be here, anyway?

He picked it up. "Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo," he answered cordially.

"Tony, it's McGee. Abby isn't around there, is she?"

"Why, Probie? You lose your wife again?" Tony snorted. Tim ignored the glib response. "She isn't answering her cell phone. I don't think it's even on."

Tony recognised something in his younger colleague's voice, and immediately, alarms went off in his head.

"Tim, I'm sorry, but I'm pretty sure I saw her leave a couple of hours ago. What's going on, anyway?"

He was met with a brief silence on the other end of the line. "I don't know, Tony. I've just got this really hinky feeling… and if she's going to be late getting home, she always lets me know. Always, Tony."

Tony nodded, even though he was alone in the office. "Because she knows you'll worry about her, otherwise. What does this feeling tell you, Tim?" Tony sat back, concern passing over his face.

"It's telling me that something is wrong. I don't know what. Something's just… not right. I wish I could tell you more."

"Give me 20 minutes, Tim. I'll finish what I'm doing and head over there. I'm sure everything's fine," Tony tried to reassure him.

He managed to convince neither Tim, nor himself.

…………………………………………………………………………

_The mini-van travelling behind the dark little car skidded to avoid a rear-end collision. It fishtailed, then swung around, doing a 180 in the middle of the road. The occupants stared, horrified, as the small car in front of them became airborne, then disappeared over the guardrail, and into the darkness of the steep ditch._

_The man behind the wheel quickly checked behind to ensure that his kids were okay, then glanced at his wife. The woman said nothing, but pulled out her phone, and immediately dialled 911._

_The man jumped out of his vehicle, and reached under the seat for his flashlight. Without a moment's hesitation, he turned it on, and headed into the blackness that dropped off of the shoulder of the road._

…………………………………………………………………………

"Where are her usual haunts?" Tony asked, as soon as he'd arrived at Abby and McGee's place.

Tim shook his head. "There are a few clubs. Some friends she might have dropped in on. I don't think we needed anything from the supermarket, so I doubt she would have gone shopping. Movie rental place, maybe." Tim ran his hand though his hair, let it rest briefly on the back of his head, then let it drop into his lap. "She would have called, Tony."

Tony reached over and tried to reassure Tim with a pat on the shoulder. "She'll turn up, McGee. Probably her cell phone just died or something, and she couldn't check in."

"You know, Tony, I really don't give a damn where she is, or where she goes. Just as long as I know she's okay, that's all that matters. I always do the same with her, you know. Check in with her. Let her know if I'm gonna be late or something." Tim brought his hands to his temples and winced. He could feel one hell of a headache coming on.

Tony sighed. That hinky gut feeling was fast becoming mutual.


	3. Missing

**What do you mean, she's missing?**

_The man stood in the ditch, shining his flashlight into the broken car, shaking his head worriedly at the young, beautiful woman in the driver's seat._

_She was bleeding from a wound on her scalp, and both her eyes were becoming blackened from where she'd been struck by the inflating airbag._

_What worried him more than anything was the thin trickle of blood, coming from her ear._

_He gingerly reached in and retrieved her purse. Carefully, he unzipped it and removed her wallet, looking for id._

_"Abigail McGee," he said to himself. "NCIS employee. Interesting."_

_A feminine voice called down from the road above. "Gareth, the ambulance is on its way."_

_"Thanks, hon. She's by herself, and she's unconscious. But I found her id. Her name is Abigail. She works at NCIS."_

_The woman gingerly made her way down the ditch, and peered in through the shattered glass. She noticed the dark pigtails and unconventional outfit, and an unmistakable gold band on her left hand. _

_"She looks like an Abby, though, doesn't she?" the woman said, gently. She reached in and touched Abby's shoulder. "Abby? Wake up, Abby. Come on, hon. Wake up for us, will you? We don't want the paramedics to think we didn't take care of you, now do we?"_

_"Mrs. McGee?" Gareth offered, cautiously. He had no idea if that was her proper title or not. But at this point, he was just desperate to wake her up._

_"Jillian, did the 911 dispatcher say when the ambulance would be here?"_

_No sooner had he said the words, than the lonely wail of the ambulance sirens were heard piercing the quiet night air._

………………………………………………………………

"What do you mean, she's missing, McGee?" Gibbs asked, as he stood in his basement in front of his boat, phone in his hand.

He brushed absently at the fine layer of sawdust that had settled on his bare arms, as he listened first to the concerns of first Tim, and then Tony.

"I know you don't want to hear this, Tim, but have you checked the local hospitals?"

Gibbs sat down, running his dusty hand through his silver hair.

"I'll be right there," he said, then hung up abruptly.


	4. Rescue

**Rescue**

_Abby was only dimly aware of what was going on around her. _

_She heard the loud, obnoxious noise of heavy equipment, the crunch of glass against glass, the metal screaming as it was once again forced to change shape, against its will._

_She felt excruciating pain in her head, and her leg. _

_She felt something stiff being placed around her neck, fastened into place. She felt something being wedged between her back and the seat of her car. She felt gentle, yet strongly determined hands remove her from her rather painfully awkward position. She moaned in pain as her leg was jostled suddenly._

_Voices, soothing voices. "Abigail, you're going to be alright. Just stay with us, okay. We're here to help you."_

_She felt herself being lifted onto something padded, strapped in. The sensation of being airborne once again made her panic, momentarily, until she felt solid ground beneath her again. The sounds of slamming doors and sirens were the last things she was aware of, before she lost consciousness.._

……………………………………………………………………

Tony was about to check with another local police department, when Gibbs arrived.

Tim was on his phone as well, checking with yet another hospital.

Abby had seemingly vanished without a trace.

Gibbs went straight to the kitchen, reached instinctively into the cupboard for his favourite jumbo "Abby-sized" coffee cup, and filled it to the brim. He came back out, and said, "What have you got, boys?"

"Sweet bugger all, Boss," Tony said, frustrated.

They were all surprised when the landline phone rang.

……………………………………………………………………

"What did the guy say, Tim?" Gibbs pressed, as they all piled into the car.

"Not much, just that he saw a car lose control and go over a guard rail into a ditch. His wife called 911. The id they found was Abby's. It's her car, Boss." Tim was trying to remain calm, and failing miserably.

Nobody noticed, and nobody complained, as Gibbs took off, tires squealing, headed for the hospital that the man had said the ambulance was headed for.

……………………………………………………………………

_"Female, late 20's to early 30's, lone occupant, single vehicle rollover. Head trauma, possible neck trauma. Compound fracture of her left leg, more contusions than we can count, multiple lacerations from flying glass. Deep laceration in her scalp, bleeding under control. Pulse strong, vitals appear stable but she most likely has internal injuries."_

_Once again, Abby was dimly aware of her surroundings._

_"Immm" she mumbled, trying to open her eyes._

_She was terrified to realize that she was unable to move her neck, until the thought occurred to her from somewhere in her logical scientist's mind, that something bad had happened, and her head had been immobilised by something. What did they call those things? She couldn't remember._

_"Prep her for a CAT scan and x-rays. I don't like the looks of that head injury. Get Dr. Nixon in here, tell him to prep himself for emergency surgery."_

_A new voice. Abrupt, calmly hurried. Professionally frantic._

_"Way to go, McGee," she thought to herself. "Now you've gone and righteously FUBAR'd yourself." The coherent thought surprised her. "Tim. How to tell them about Tim. They have to let him know, he'll be worried sick by now."_

_She had no way of knowing that Tim, Tony, and Gibbs were already one step ahead of her._


	5. Endless Waiting

**Endless Waiting**

Tim paced in the waiting room, the sludge in the small paper cup from the coffee dispenser left untouched on the small coffee table that held magazines and pamphlets.

"Where the hell is the doctor, anyway," he fretted. Tony sat quietly, pondering on the best way to calm his friend. Then he realised that trying to calm Tim down would be about the most hypocritical thing he could possibly do. So he instead gave in to his own apprehension, arose from his seat, and began pacing with him.

Can't beat him, join him. Gibbs looked up, watching his boys in their synchronised dance of fear and worry.

They all looked up, as the doctor suddenly appeared.

"Mr. McGee?" he said, not sure which man he should be speaking to.

"Yes?" Tim asked, pivoting around, the panic once again creeping into his voice.

"Your wife is stable for now, but we need to keep a close eye on her. She hasn't regained consciousness since she's been here, and that is worrying us, I have to be honest."

"What sort of injuries…" Tim started to ask, trailing off, scared to finish what he was asking.

The doctor sighed. "Well, she has whiplash, and her leg is badly fractured. We've pinned that, and it should heal nicely. She also has a head trauma. Her brain impacted the inside of her skull when her head was thrown forward. As a result, there is some inter-cranial swelling. We're keeping an eye on it for now. If need be, we will take her back into surgery and try to relieve some of the pressure." Tim sat down, feeling faint. Gibbs watched, worried, then asked, quite bluntly, "Doctor, what is her prognosis?"

"Well, Mr…?" he asked.

"Gibbs," was his answer. "I'm a friend of Abby and Tim's. So is Tony," he said, nodding towards DiNozzo. "Anything you can say to Tim, you can say in front of us."

The doctor nodded. "It's hard to say, at this point. We have to watch her and see. Hopefully she'll wake up soon. The airbag saved her life, there's no doubt about that. Without it, she would have most likely sustained multiple skull fractures that she may not have even survived."

Tim stood, turned around, and walked out of the waiting room.


	6. Meeting Caitlin

**Meeting Caitlin**

_Abby was in a warm place. There was sunshine, and clear azure sky, and she was surprised to realise that it didn't bother her in the least._

_The garden was in full bloom, the heady fragrance of the flowers permeating the air and delighting her senses._

_She walked through the paths, winding through past the various plants, until she came to a clearing in a field. She looked over towards a tree, and saw a small girl playing by herself._

_She strolled towards her, and when she reached her, she was startled to see a familiar face look up at her - startled because she had no idea who this little girl was, but at the same time, knew that she could only be one person._

_She had Tim's straight nose, and her eyes were shaped like his as well. They were green, but not Tim's particular shade - her eyes were unmistakably the exact shade of Abby's. Her chin was like Abby's as well, and her long hair was dark, though not quite as jet-dark as her own. It was drawn back into a ponytail, secured at the nape of her neck._

_"Hi, Mommy," the little girl said brightly._

_Abby gasped. _

_"You're not supposed to be here, you know."_

_Abby sat down on the soft, cool grass._

_"Do I know you?" she asked, in wonder._

_The small girl giggled. "Of course not, silly Mommy. I haven't been born yet. But my name is Caitlin."_

_Abby felt her eyes burn and her throat tighten. Caitlin. After her best friend. How fitting, she thought._

_"You have to go back to Daddy, or I won't ever be born," the small child said, matter-of-factly. "Not to mention, Uncle Tony will be really really mad. And Uncle Gibbs will be even madder. And Uncle Ducky won't ever smile again if you don't go back. And Uncle Jimmy…"_

_Abby cut the girl off. "Okay, alright, alright… I get it, already. I didn't really want to leave your Daddy anyway. I mean, I DON'T really want to leave him. But it hurts too much to wake up, baby girl."_

_Caitlin sighed, exasperated. "Fine, then. Stay awhile. But you have to go back soon, you can't stay here."_

_"So, whatcha playin'" Abby asked her future daughter._

_Caitlin smiled up at her, grinning another familiar grin. Her beautiful green eyes lit up, as she excitedly told her mother what she'd been up to._


	7. Friends

**Friends**

Tony walked the hallways, searching in a half-assed effort to track down Tim.

Gibbs had tried to stop him, an unfamiliar gentleness in his voice. "He needs time by himself, Tony. Let him be, for once."

But Tony had boldly insisted that Tim needed a friend right now, and he was nothing if not Italian, and Italians were famous for being fiercely loyal towards the people they cared about.

Tony passed by the chapel, peering in. He was somewhat surprised to see the back of a familiar head, as a lone figure sat quietly in one of the pews, in a more darkened corner of the chapel.

Tony entered quietly. He approached, unnoticed, then sat down on the pew, next to Tim.

"I didn't know you were a God-fearing man, McGee," he said, lightly.

Tim didn't look at him right away, instead, simply saying, "There's a lot you don't know about me, Tony."

Tony sighed sadly. "You're right about that. That's my own fault. I do know that one day you showed up on our doorsteps, on loan from Norfolk, and before you'd turned around and blinked twice, you'd found your destiny."

Tim smiled slightly. "In the lab. You had absolutely no faith at first, did you?"

"None at all, Probie. Then you found it with us, as well. With me, and Kate, and Gibbs. Not to mention Ducky, and even Palmer."

Tony grinned carefully. He reached over and draped an arm around Tim's shoulders.

"I can't lose her, Tony. She's a part of me now."

Tony nodded, then stared off at the various paintings adorning the walls. "You aren't gonna lose her, Tim. She's stronger than this. So are you."

Tony removed his arm from Tim's shoulders, then rested his clasped hands in his lap, as he sat back. "Remember when you finally went down to autopsy, to see Kate? You freely admitted you were too scared to do it until that point. It takes a real man to admit fear, Tim. You're a lot stronger than I ever gave you credit for. Stronger than you're giving yourself credit for right now."

Tim looked over at Tony, and blinked a few times. "Thanks." He sighed, and got up. "I should probably be with Abs right now." Tony nodded, getting up as well. "Probably."

The two men turned around and left the chapel.

………………………………………………………………………

"Tim," Gibbs said gently. "I know you really don't need to hear this, but I'm gonna need you in the lab in the morning. You're gonna have to pinch-hit for Abby. Can you handle that?"

Tim looked tired. Slowly, he nodded. "I think so. I mean, yeah, I can. Understand, I won't be as fast as Abs. The lab isn't exactly my territory."

Tony shrugged, and tried to sound encouraging. "McGee, half the time you've been with us, you've spent in the lab. You know your way around it with your eyes closed."

_Yeah, with Abby's help, _he thought, but wisely didn't vocalize.

"I'll be there in the morning, first thing," he said. Gibbs clapped him on the back. "You let us know if there's any change, got it?"

Tim nodded, and smiled weakly. "Got it, Boss." Tony tried to grin. "She'll be fine, Probie." Tim hadn't actually been probationary since he'd been promoted to Gibbs' team, but the nickname had stuck nevertheless, gradually morphing into something entirely different than what it had started out as. "You know Abby, she's always gotta do things her way - the hard way. She's yankin' your chain. I bet the first thing she says when she wakes up will be "gotcha, McGee."

Tim smiled briefly, grateful for the reassurances. They weren't working, but he was still grateful for the gestures. He watched briefly as Gibbs and Tony smiled at him one last time, then turned around and left.


	8. By Abby's Side

**By Abby's Side**

"Hey, beautiful," he said softly, as he sat down at Abby's bedside and gently took her hand.

"Why don't you wake up, Abs. I haven't had a good intellectual argument since Thursday. Tony tries, but… well, he's Tony. Of course, Tony's not stupid by any stretch. We just aren't on the same wavelength often enough to really get into it intelligently most of the time. And Gibbs is fine if he's winning, but he's just scary when he feels like he's about to lose. And Ducky… well, you know Ducky's strategy. He launches into a story and by the time he's finished, he's completely thrown you off your game, and you have no idea anymore what your plan of attack was. Palmer I can only beat so many times before I get bored. Not that he's stupid, either, I mean, he's a med student, for cryin' out loud. He's just way too nervous, that's all. Throws him off. Reminds me of me when I first arrived."

He stopped talking for a moment, watching her breathe. She looked so peaceful, were it not for the bandages and tubes. He reached over and gently brushed her forehead with his fingers. Her bangs peeked out from under the bandage, and he noticed quickly that her hair wasn't quite right. "Oh, you're gonna be pissed, Abs. They really butchered your hair. But it'll grow back. I'd still love you if you were bald." He smiled sadly, reaching over and caressing her cheek with the back of his hand. He leaned forward in his chair, and gingerly rested his arm across her chest, taking her hand in his. He settled his head on the pillow close to her, then nuzzled his face into the space between her shoulder and her neck. He sighed heavily, and drifted off to sleep.


	9. Dreaming of Caitlin

**Dreaming of Caitlin**

_Tim looked around. "This has to be a dream," he said to himself. He breathed deeply, drinking in the heavy scent of flowers that hung in the air like a veil of fragrance. He looked up, and smiled at the azure sky. "Now, this reminds me of a certain day," he said softly, glancing down at his left hand._

_Before long, the curious investigator in him managed to pull rank on the sensitive, poetic soul in him. He started walking, carefully navigating his way along the path, past the flowers and other ornamental foliage._

_He came to a clearing, and he cocked his head curiously as he saw a woman, and a little girl, in the distance._

_"Okay, that looks an awful lot like…" he trailed off, walking towards them._

_Abby looked up. "Hey McGee," she said brightly. Tim looked at her, then down at the young girl. "Do I know her?" he asked Abby, clearly confused._

_The young child giggled. "Silly Daddy," she said softly. Tim barely caught her words, but heard enough of them that it made him start._

_He crouched down, taking a closer look at the tiny stranger. She smiled brightly at him, and he blinked as he recognised a few of her features._

_"Uhhhh," he stammered. Caitlin giggled again, then turned to Abby. "Is Daddy always this nervous, Mommy?"_

_Without even thinking, Tim suddenly extended his hands, and Caitlin ran straight to him. He caught her under her arms, then stood, sweeping her up, settling her on his arm. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gazed into his eyes._

_"You're…?" he said, sounding a little less unsure but still a little unbelieving._

_"I don't know why you'd think so, McGee, I mean, she looks nothing at all like you," Abby teased, giggling. Tim held his daughter's gaze, feeling eerily like he was looking into a mirror. She smiled brightly at him again._

_"Caitlin Abigail McGee," she said proudly, nodding her head with each word, then giggled softly as she whispered to him, "But you always call me Princess, Daddy." Tim chuckled softly, pride suddenly seeping into his expression, as Caitlin nuzzled her head against him with a happy little sigh._

_Abby sat on the grass, watching, and thinking to herself that little Caitlin was clearly going to be a daddy's girl. Then, her expression changed to one of alarm, as it suddenly occurred to her that Tim was there. Why was Tim there? He wasn't hurt, was he?_

_Caitlin lifted her head as she seemed to sense her mother's concerns. "Daddy's just sleeping, Mommy. No worries." She turned her sweet face back to Tim. "Mommy's just sleeping, too. She doesn't want to wake up yet, but she promised she will," she told him, reassuringly._

_"Really?" Tim asked, turning to Abby. Abby smiled. "I'm in a world of hurt right now, Hon. I just can't bring myself to wake up to that. But I will wake up, I promise. Just give me some time… before you know it, I'll be back, good as new. Anyway, we have a baby to make, it would seem," she said, winking._

_Caitlin rolled her green eyes, and Tim blushed as he chuckled. He softly kissed her cheek, then set her down gently. He and Abby watched, delighted, as she scampered off to play._

_"Like our daughter said, Tim. No worries." Tim reached out a hand to her, and she went to him, allowing him to envelop her in his strong embrace._

_"But if you break anything in my lab, I promise you, you will be in the same boat as I am right now." She grinned up at him. He gazed down at her, relief flooding his heart and mind, and he just had time to kiss her, before the scene around him faded out as he woke up._


	10. Because She Told Me

**Because she told me**

Tony looked up from his desk as he heard the elevator doors open, and watched his colleague walk over towards his own desk. Tim dropped his bag on the chair and looked over at Tony.

"Well…" Tony asked, expectantly. Tim smiled slightly. "No change, she's still stable. But she's going to be fine," he said. Tony blinked. "Of course she is, McGee. But… if there's no change, how do you know…?" he trailed off. Tim smiled at him as Gibbs entered the bullpen.

"Because she told me," he said simply. He turned to Gibbs. "Morning, Boss. I will of course be in the lab, if anyone needs me." He smiled one last time at both men, as he headed towards the elevator.

Gibbs glanced at Tony, questioningly. Tony shrugged. "Still no change, but he says she'll be fine."

"Hm," Gibbs said, smiling. He took a long pull from his coffee cup. "As soon as you've got your stuff together, I want you to sort out that evidence from yesterday and get it down to the lab. Allow lots of time, Tony. We're not dealing with Abby today."

Tony nodded, and smiled. A sudden feeling of calm overtook him. Yes, Tim was right. Abby would be just fine.


End file.
